The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports a 700% rise in congenital syphilis, passed from mother to child in the womb, since 2015. Experts cite declining safe sex practices among heterosexual women, lack of prenatal care, and failure to screen for syphilis during pregnancy, something that used to be mandated in many states. The infection is still relatively rare, affecting only 0.36% of live births in 2024, but syphilis is often asymptomatic, and the consequences for both newborn children and their mothers are serious if left untreated by antibiotics. The CDC now recommends routine screening for all sexually active persons between the ages of 15 and 44.
See a map of the counties with the highest rates of syphilis incidence, mostly concentrated in the South, Southwest, and West Coast states.
